If I Die Young
by 70Seiji07
Summary: Maka is fatally injured; Soul blames himself, but life goes on. Crappy summary, Rated T for 2 curse words and you tell me if it's Romantic or not.


**Disclaimer: Soul Eater, however awesome it is, is not mine. Neither is the song, If I Die Young by The Band Perry. The only thing I own here's the things that happen. If they are like another story, a book, a oneshot, series, it is _totally _unintentional.**

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><p>"<em>If I die young, bury me in satin<em>

_Lay me down on a, bed of roses_

_Sink me in the river, at dawn_

_Send me away with the words of a love song"_

Soul walked through their shared apartment and saw Maka's door open. He found Maka on her stomach on the bed, singing absentmindedly while reading a book in her room, listening to her iPod.

"_The sharp knife of a short life, well_

_I've had, just enough time"_

Soul just stood there, leaning on the frame of her door. He listened to his meister that wasn't musically-inclined but sang surprisingly well.

"_I'm as green as the ring on my little, cold finger, I've_

_Never known the lovin'of a man_

_But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand there's a _

_Boy here in town he says he'll love me forever_

_Who would have thought forever could be severed by_

_The sharp knife of a short life, well,_

_I've had, just enough time"_

By that time Soul had approached Maka and put a hand on the small of her back, which caused a little squeak of surprise come from the small blonde, while he lay down on the bed beside her.

"Soul!" She plucked the small buds from her ears as he pulled her by the waist to him. "Hey, what's wrong?" She closed her book and turned her attention to her partner.

"Nothing" To Soul, this felt right. Just chilling out with the girl he loved. Maka turned over to face Soul, and he pulled her to his chest. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. A comfortable silence settled around the young couple.

"Soul?" She asked into his chest.

"Hmm?" She pulled away from him just enough to look at him.

"What would you do if I died?" She asked thoughtfully. Soul felt a frown tugging at his lips. He put his hands on Maka's face and looked straight into her eyes.

"I won't let that happen. The only time that would happen is when we're both old and wrinkled." He said with all the seriousness in the world. She smiled a small smile and pecked him lightly on the lips.

"I know."

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><p>Soul looked at his meister. She was hooked up to all sorts of machinery. One that beeped rhythmically to the beating of her heart, another helped her breathe. His meister was hurt. <em>Maka<em> was hurt. He failed to do his job. He _couldn't _protect her. He went out of the room and punched a hole into the wall.

"Dammit!"

"It wasn't your fault Soul." Kid said, putting a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off.

"It doesn't matter. She's hurt and I couldn't protect her." He slid down to the floor and buried his face into his hands.

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><p>Maka was running through the streets of a small town in the south. Lord Death had sent them there in search of a particularly powerful witch.<p>

"Maka!" Soul warned her as some kind of projectile made its way toward her. She quickly dodged and swivelled around to face their opponent. The witch was wearing a hat with floppy ears and a tail. Like most witches, this one had its own animal theme.

"Dog Dogog Dogu Dodogu!" She sent out shadows in the shape of dogs flying towards Maka. Some of the shadows tried to bite her. She dodged them easily. The witch chanted again. This time, the dogs approached her and exploded, which Maka barely avoided.

...

The witch lay on the ground, battered and defeated. Maka walked closer and the Dog witch spat at her feet.

"What are you waiting for?" Soul asked. Maka shook her head. There was a nagging feeling in her gut, but she shrugged it off. She held the death scythe up above her head, ready to deliver the final blow, when the witch smiled. Maka's eyes widened. The next thing Soul knew was he was flying through the air, knocked out of the blonde meister's grip by a loud explosion.

"MAKA!" Soul shouted. He reverted back to his human form and ran back to her side. "Fuck..." He felt his heart skip a beat. She was unconscious and bleeding on the ground. He almost forgot the witch just a few feet away from them. He turned around and glared at her. He transformed his arm into a blade and lunged. Just a few minutes later, he was calling Lord Death for help.

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><p>"Doctor! How is she?" Soul asked anxiously as the doctor emerged from the emergency room.<p>

"She's stable, but we need a few more hours to monitor her condition." Soul let a heavy sigh leave his mouth. She wasn't dead. Maka was strong. She'd make it through this. He tried forcing optimistic thoughts into his head. However, he couldn't force a smile. It was no use. He couldn't stop worrying.

Kid was there, comforting him. So was Black*Star, who was uncharacteristically quiet in respect to what was happening to his best friend. Tsubaki cried into her lover and meister's chest, while the Thompson sisters paced around nervously.

They had forced him into going home and resting. Instead of resting though, he gathered things Maka would want when she woke up. He got her a change of clothes and decided to change into clean ones as an afterthought. She wouldn't want to see him in clothes soaked in her blood from carrying her to safety. He got the book she was reading before they had left for that damned mission. The very book she was reading when he held her close.

"_If I die young..."_

The lyrics of the song she sang that evening rang through the deafening silence of their apartment. No. She wasn't going to die. They weren't even old yet! She was only seventeen. It's far too young.

"_The sharp knife of a short life...I've had just enough time..."_

No. It wasn't enough. Soul had to at least spend an eternity with Maka before he was satisfied. Hell, even _that_ might not be enough. He loved her. So much that the thought of life without her would mean death... or insanity, whichever came first.

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><p>It's been a week since the incident. Maka was alive and well now, her injuries almost completely healed. She's a tough girl that heals fast. He made his way through the halls of the hospital, which had become familiar to the young death scythe. He went into Maka's room and sat in the very same place he had been for the past few days. Her eyes were closed.<p>

"Good morning Maka." She didn't stir in her sleep. She didn't move at all, save the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. A grave smile etched itself onto his features. Maka wasn't dead. For that he was glad.

Maka was in a coma. That... he cursed himself for.

The day the doctors told him was the day he punched a hole into the wall across her room. He opened the curtains of the room to let the warm sunlight in. She would like that. He put fresh flowers in the vase beside her bed.

"I miss you." He sat back down on the chair next to her. "You know, you're gonna have to wake up soon. Your Dad's practically dehydrated from all the crying he's been doing the past week." He took her small and slightly cold hand in his own and rubbed it gently. She looked at peace. He wished she was, because he sure wasn't. He was slowly losing his mind, but he had to stay strong. She wouldn't want him breaking down because of her.

"Hey, Maka, I'm gonna head out. I'm meeting the guys at the cafe downtown." Silence... "I guess you aren't coming with, huh?" He looked at her closed eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He said grimly before closing the door behind him.

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><p>"Soul, you probably know why you were summoned." Lord Death chirped. Spirit stood to the side, his eyes downcast.<p>

"No I don't. What's up, Shinigami-sama?" Soul asked innocently. He had a feeling this would happen soon. Maka's been in a coma for a month and a half now. Research shows that the chance of a comatose patient waking up drops drastically. He himself _had_ done research. He wanted to know as much as he could about what she was going through. Now, the research he had done increased the fear he felt from not knowing tenfold.

"Soul..." Lord Death's voice lost its cheeriness and took on a grave tone. "It pains me to say this but we have to move on with our lives." Soul looked at him dully, seemingly uninterested in what he was saying. "You can't keep on waiting for her to wake up." Soul flinched while Spirit tensed up. Soul sighed.

"Actually, I was kinda expecting this." He confessed. Kid had been saying the same thing to him for the past week. Even Black*Star was offering to go on a mission with him.

"Don't worry kid; I'll take good care of her while you're away." Spirit reassured. A few months into dating Maka, Spirit had acknowledged him, trusted him enough to take care of his precious daughter. The man usually acted ridiculous whenever Soul saw him, partly because he was usually with Maka when he did. Nevertheless, whenever Maka wasn't present, Spirit acted mature and serious as hell. Soul respected him for that.

"Thanks." Soul turned to Lord Death. "So Shinigami-sama, where to?" Lord Death briefed him on the mission and Soul decided to say goodbye to his sleeping meister.

"Hey Maka," Soul said entering the room. "Guess what?" Silence still. He had to admit, he was felling kinda stupid talking to somebody that isn't even conscious. The doctors said that talking to her would help and honestly, it was better than not talking to her at all.

"I'm going on a mission soon. Death Scythe stuff." Her eyebrows furrowed. His eyes went wide. Was he imagining this? This is the first movement she's done since the incident. He hesitantly continued. "...So... I'm going to Siberia to help *Pushka-san out, staying there 2 weeks." Her brows knitted together even more. He felt a small smile on his lips and let out a quiet chuckle.

"You shouldn't worry so much. I'll be back before you know it!" He grinned when he saw the muscles of her face relax. "Wake up soon and I'll promise to stay safe." He looked at her with all the tenderness in the world. Soul took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "I'll see you later Maka."

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><p>"Soul!" Maka leaped into his arms. He had just returned from a week-long mission, fighting with Yumi Azusa, the Death Scythe in charge of East Asia.<p>

"Hey Maka," He flashed his signature lop-sided grin. Maka got out of his embrace and punched his arm. "Ow, what was that for?"

"You jerk! Did you know how worried I was? You didn't even call," Maka huffed. Soul looked at his meister. She was pouting and looked like a little kid. She looked adorable. He pulled her in and held her in his arms.

"Baka. I'm fine, aren't I?" He pulled back a bit. "I'm sorry for making you worry." He gave her a sweet and chaste kiss. Her lips were warm despite the chilly autumn breeze. "C'mon, let's go home." Soul slung his backpack over his shoulder and put an arm around hers. Maka leaned into her weapon, who was almost a full head taller than she was.

"Soul?" Maka looked up at him.

"Hm?" He said in acknowledgement but kept walking with her in tow.

"Isn't it funny when you're gone how people start listening to your words?" Soul frowned.

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

"I miss you." She said as she broke free from his grasp. He turned to her worriedly. She was running towards building and entered a door. Soul quickly followed her down the twists and turns of the halls they were running through. When he finally caught up to her, she was climbing into a bed and closed her eyes. Soul's eyes widened as he took in their surroundings. This was Maka's hospital room. "Take care Soul."

Soul abruptly opened his eyes and found himself on the couch of their apartment. It was a dream. But it started off as a memory, and it felt so real. It was after Soul's first Death Scythe mission without Maka.

The mission in Russia went along smoothly. They had dug around and found a whole nest of witches in a desolate part of the country. Overall, it took about a month to finish everything up there. When Soul returned she still hadn't woken up. He was surprised though when he took his hand she, albeit weakly, squeezed his back. She missed him too, whether she knew it or not.

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><p>He looked deep into her eyes. She was dazed, her usually bright eyes clouded with uncertainty.<p>

"I love you Maka." He did it. He finally confessed his feelings to the girl he adored. There was a silence that made Soul's heart beat faster. Would she reject him? Did she like somebody else? Soul was about to panic when he felt her small, delicate hand cup his cheek.

"Soul, you idiot..." She got on the tips of her toes and let her lips brush his. Soul was taken aback but as soon as he gathered his bearings, leaned down to his meister and kissed her. It was a chaste kiss that didn't last long. Soul had settled his hands around her waist while hers were around his neck. He basked in the glow of his happy partner.

"Happy Sixteenth Birthday Maka." She giggled, a soft peal of bells that he loved hearing.

"Thanks Soul." She pecked his lips once more. "This has been the best birthday ever, the best gift too."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? I'll make sure next year would be even better, and the year after that, and the year after that." Soul flashed his sharp teeth. Maka giggled again.

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><p>"Happy Birthday Maka." Soul said as he put a small box on her bedside table. It was her eighteenth birthday, and she wasn't even awake to celebrate it. All of their friends were there. That was rare. People hardly visited her anymore; it had been almost a year since the incident. Soul still visited her, although it went from everyday to thrice a week. She had been moved from the hospital to a nursing home just a few blocks away.<p>

Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz and Patty were there. Even the other members of Spartoi, Kim, Ox, Kilik and their weapons too, were present. Spirit sat in one corner of the room. They had all left their gifts in another corner, which they knew Soul would bring back to their apartment later that day.

The celebration was started off really awkward. How do you celebrate with the celebrant not conscious? The small gathering later chatted among themselves and Soul served as their host. An hour later, only Spirit and Soul remained. The others had gone their separate ways, some having to go on a mission early the day after, some just simply left.

"Hey, kid." Spirit said.

"Hm?" Soul replied while picking up the gifts in the corner.

"Wait, let me help you with that." And help, he did. They were now walking down the street towards Soul and Maka's apartment, the gifts in paper bags.

"So Old Man, what's up?"

"Soul..." Spirit sighed. "Maybe... It's time you let her go..." Soul stopped in his tracks. "You're young. You still have so much in store for you."

"What're you saying...?"

"I'm saying, you shouldn't waste your time waiting for her to wake up. I can do plenty enough of that for the both of us." He said seriously.

"Waiting for her is _not_ a waste of time, and it never will be. I believe in her. She _will_ wake up and I want to be there with her when she does. " Soul snatched away the bag of gifts from Spirit's hand and marched angrily the rest of the way home.

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><p>There were a lot of things people didn't know about Maka that Soul knew. How she left her hair down whenever they were home, the order in which she ties her hair (right <em>then<em> left), the cute way she whimpers his name whenever he got out of bed without her while she's asleep... But then Maka knew a lot of things others didn't know about him, like the fact that he was a cuddle-whore.

"Soul..." Maka whined.

"Hm?"

"Let me go!" She squirmed. Her back was pressed against Soul's chest with his arms around her waist.

"Why?" He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent.

"I have to go and make breakfast." She struggled against him.

"No."

"But Soul~!" She squirmed around and faced him, still in his arms.

"Too early." He cracked one eye open to look at her.

"Soul, it's already 7:30" She pushed against his chest but he wouldn't budge.

"Like I said, too early... Go back to sleep cuz I'm not letting you go." He closed his eyes again as she gave up and snuggled deeper into his chest. He smiled and kissed the top of her head before drifting back to sleep.

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><p>Three days after Maka's Eighteenth Birthday, Soul was calmly sitting beside his meister reading a book. Reading reminded him of her and calmed him down. The day had been passing uneventfully when all of a sudden, the door burst open.<p>

"Maka! Oh, my baby," screamed a woman as she entered the room. She had big, wide bewildered eyes that scanned Maka's form and short blonde hair in a pixie cut. If she had it long and in pigtails, Soul might have mistaken her for his partner.

"Would you please, turn the volume down?" Soul said closing the book and placing it on a table. It was the book Maka hadn't finished. The woman looked as if she had just noticed him in the room.

"Oh. I'm sorry..." She wiped a tear from her eyes. "I'm Kami Albarn."

"I guessed as much. You look a lot like her." Soul mused. "I'm Soul, a Death Scythe and her weapon." There was a moment of silence. He vaguely remembered Maka saying that her mom had gone travelling before she enrolled in Shibusen. Kami had a light tan, and was wearing a long sleeved shirt and cargo pants.

"How long has she been like this?" She asked with worry.

"Almost a year" Soul said and murmured it again more to himself than her.

"A year..." She said in disbelief. "I'm a horrible mother..." She sat down. Soul thought about what she said. Sure she hadn't gotten in touch with Maka in what, 5, 6 years? But that didn't matter to Maka. She was the one person Maka looked up to the most, served as an inspiration and example for Maka to follow. Because of her, Maka became one of the greatest Scythe Meisters Shibusen's ever known and turned him into the youngest Death Scythe in history.

"That's not entirely true." She looked at him. "Maka thinks very highly of you. And we were supposed to live independently, so it wouldn't really make a difference if you were there or not." He reassured with a barely visible smile.

"You're one to talk," she said spitefully. "Where were you when, when _this_ happened!" She said gesturing to Maka's sleeping form. "Isn't a weapon supposed to protect his meister!" She almost screamed.

"I..." He felt guilt stabbing at his heart. He had managed to dismiss the idea after a month of persuasion from his best friends. But now, thanks to Maka's furious mother, the thought resurfaced with a bite of bitterness. "... I couldn't do anything." Kami looked at the pained expression on his face with pity. She regretted what she had just said.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice that reminded him of Maka. "I was... That was the angry mom in me speaking." She took in a deep breath and calmed herself even more. "I was a meister once too, and I'm pretty sure this hurts you the most." She was right, but her apology did nothing to crush the guilt that built up and suffocated his thoughts.

"Yeah..." He looked at his meister longingly. "I miss her."

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><p>Soul navigated the familiar halls of the nursing home. Turned left here, right there, he almost knew the place like the back of his hand. He had just received a postcard from Kami. She was in India. It had been a week since he saw her off. They got along really well. He could see why Maka looked up to her. She was determined, brave, and frustratingly stubborn. She was just like Maka.<p>

When he got to her room, there was a caregiver writing some stuff down.

"Oh, hello there." She smiled at me. She looked new here, in her early twenties. He nodded in response. "Sooo... Are you visiting your friend here?" She came closer.

_Well, duh, why else would I be here? _"Yeah" I said indifferently.

"I see. So... Are you doing anything later? I'm about to get off my shift in a few." She batted her eyes at Soul.

"No thanks. I'm kinda busy; I have to do something after this." He lied. The brunette's smile was quickly replaced by a frown. She had seen through his lie.

"Oh, I see..." She quickly retreated to wherever she came from before her pride was wounded even more. Soul sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't expected that. He turned to his meister and was surprised to see her eyebrows furrowed.

"Maka...?" Her eyebrows knit together even more. "Hey, what's wrong?" He could imagine her puffing out her cheeks and pouting. He stifled a laugh. "You're mad aren't you?" Her head turned away from him. That was progress. Soul chuckled. "You're jealous!" She squirmed a bit more. Soul laughed out loud.

"You know I wouldn't dream of being with anyone else, right?" He sat down beside her and rubbed her hand. "Relax." Her features did just that. He kissed her knuckles. "I love you and only you." She smiled.

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><p>It has been almost two years since the incident. Soul was doing really well. He's been taking on missions, almost monthly, that had him gone for weeks at a time. But today was special, he wasn't leaving anytime soon. It was her birthday.<p>

He had bought a necklace on a mission to France, its simple but elegant design caught his eye. He also had a postcard from Kami. It was from Thailand this time. He decided to put it on the table next to the flower vase.

He went through the same halls, and went into her room. He looked at her for a moment longer than he usually did. Her hair was almost waist long now; one of the caregivers braided it so it wouldn't look that messy. Other than that she looked normal, asleep.

"Shit..." He searched his pockets and realized he dropped his gift somewhere. "I'll be right back." He went a few steps down the hall and found the little box on the floor. He picked it up and walked back to her room. What he saw there made him stop at the doorway and drop his gift again.

She was sitting up in bed and stretching her arms above her head. Was he dreaming again?

"Morning Soul." She smiled at him. He rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, what's wrong?" He felt tears sting his eyes. "Soul?"

"You're awake," he whispered. "Finally..."

"Why? How long have I been out?" She asked and while popping some joints. She felt really sore.

"Two years." He pulled back to look at her eyes. He missed her bright green eyes.

"What...?" She looked at him worriedly before he pulled her close and kissed her passionately. A few minutes later they were breathless as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Happy Birthday Maka." Her half-lidded eyes turned wide, she was surprised. "I missed you." He kissed her again. She giggled.

"_Gather up your tears; keep 'em in your pocket_

_Save them for a time when you're really gonna need 'em"_

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

*Tsar Pushka is the Death Scythe in charge of Russia, I dunno if he's mentioned in the Anime, but in the Manga, he was. In fact, when he was mentioned, he was being attacked by Chrona and killed by insanity.

**Okay! So I finally published it! Hooray! And I almost made 5,000 words! Most of the story is kinda choppy. It starts off with a flashback, then the present, flashback, present, and so on. Sorry if it confused some readers.**

**Next, honestly, tell me if it sucked. This is my first Soul Eater fanfic. Also my first, semi-long oneshot. I started writing one weekend, then contiued writing 2, 3 weeks later. The story might not have flowed as smoothly as I hoped it to be.**

**Please Review! I appreciate brutal honesty! :3**


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